National Geographic's April 2016 Issue Features 10 Different Animal Covers

The April 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine has ten different covers. Each cover features a different animal. The covers were photographed by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

The April issues covers highlight the National Geographic Photo Ark project. This project is a multiyear effort with Sartore to photograph all captive species and inspire people to save these animals before they disappear. For the ambitious project Sartore is embarking on a mission to create intimate photographs of 12,000 different species. He has photographed nearly 6,000 creatures to date.

The cover animals include a waxy monkey tree frog, hippopotamus, Reimann's snake-necked turtle, snowy owl, Malayan tiger, Brazilian porcupine, southern three-banded armadillo, Indian peafowl, mother and baby koalas, and a Coquerel's sifaka. The cover photographs were taken at various locations including several zoos. Some of these zoos included Zoo Atlanta, Raptor Recovery Nebraska and he Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

Susan Goldberg, National Geographic Partners editorial director and National Geographic magazine editor in chief, says in a statement, "We wanted species diversity, from the charismatic and cute to the often overlooked. A mix of engaging characters that started to hint at the scale of Joel's project was key."

The magazine staff had a hard time selecting which ten photos to use. One of the main features they looked for in the ten cover photographs was eye contact. National Geographic Partners creative director says, "Eye contact was key, as one of the hallmarks of the Photo Ark is creating a direct connection between the viewer and the animal."

The issue's cover story can be found online here on nationalgeographic.com.